Third Time's the Charm
by shli
Summary: A Danny and Lindsay fanfiction that was inspired by my interpretation of the 4x16 "Right Next Door" . For people who like their romance.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hello readers. So, some of you might know me as the author of the House/Cameron fanfiction _Meant to Be_, which I will hopefully update soon. I'm having a bit of a writer's block for them since the show is giving nothing to work with — can't wait for it to come back though. After seeing the previews for the next episode ("Right Next Door") of CSI: New York (yet another show I'm addicted to), I have become inspired to write a fanfiction for Danny and Lindsay, since I can write out scenarios with them that can't be done for House and Cameron. Hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

"I've fallen in love with you," Lindsay practiced to herself whilst standing in front of the mirror as she fixed her bangs. With a frustrated sigh, she planted her hands on either side of the sink and leaned in to face her reflection. "Get it together, Monroe. How hard is it to tell a guy you love him? Just go over there and tell him." She gave herself an encouraging nod and walked out of her bathroom. Grabbing her keys and her bag, she walked out of her apartment and into a cool New York evening.

Moments later, she reached the entrance to Danny's apartment building. Luckily for her, someone was on their way out as she came up the steps. As she got into the elevator, Lindsay's heart started pounding in her ears. She hadn't been this nervous since she had to go back to Bozeman to testify against her childhood friends' murderer. Breathing in and out, she tried to calm herself down the best she could, hoping that Danny wouldn't be notice how nervous she was when she saw him. The elevator dinged as she reached his floor, and she walked out with determination. It was time to let him know just how she really felt about him.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice the fact that Rikki's door was open. With her back to the opened door, she raised her hand to knock on Danny's door. Just as her fist was about to touch the wood, she heard his voice coming from behind her. She turned around, a bit confused about what to do. It was understandable for him to be in Rikki's apartment. Lindsay knew that Ruben's death had hit Danny really hard; and even though she tried to get him to open up about it, he refused to be comforted. Maybe Rikki was the only person who could help him. Not wanting to intrude, Lindsay started to leave but something caused to look back through the slight opening in the doorway. Danny and Rikki were embracing each other with their faces close together. As their lips slowly drew closer together, an involuntary gasp came from Lindsay's mouth. Afraid that she'd be discovered, she quickly ran back to the elevator doors and frantically pushed the down button. Tears were welling up in her eyes, blurring her vision; but she heard the elevator doors open and she rushed in, hid on one side and pushed the button for the ground floor. The doors shut, and she thought she heard someone call her name but she couldn't be sure. As soon as the doors opened to the ground floor, she hurried outside and disappeared around the corner as fast as she could.

Instead of going home, Lindsay ended up at Stella's new apartment. She knocked on Stella's door as calmly as she could, her breath uneven from holding back the sobs. Stella opened her door as soon as she saw Lindsay's tearful face through the peephole. Without a word, she gathered Lindsay into her arms and drew her into the apartment.

* * *

Danny slowly returned to Rikki's apartment, panting slightly. Once he had heard the gasp coming from the hallway, he had instantly pulled back and looked. He had caught a brief glimpse of Lindsay's short, dark blond hair before she disappeared. With a mumbled apology to Rikki, he dashed after her; but she had too much of a head start and the elevators door were almost closed by the time he got to the hallway. He called out her name and sprinted to the emergency staircase to try and catch her. When he had reached the ground floor, the elevator was empty and she was nowhere to be seen. He had run outside to see if she was still nearby, but all he saw was an elderly gentleman with his small dog.

"I'm sorry," Rikki said, as Danny walked back in. "I hope she knows that nothing happened."

"If she hadn't made a noise, something probably would have happened. I don't know what came over me." Danny sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. First, Ruben's death, and now this. Yet another black mark against him.

"It would have been nothing more than two people who are hurting trying to find some kind of comfort. You're a good guy, Danny. You would have stopped it before it had gotten too far."

"Thanks for saying so," Danny replied. He lifted his head and looked at Rikki. "I better go. I have an early shift tomorrow, and I need to call her." He got up from the couch and headed across the hall towards his apartment.

"Danny," Rikki called gently. He turned around. "You need to forgive yourself. I know it wasn't your fault. It's time for you to let go of your guilt." With that, she closed the door behind him, leaving him alone in the hallway.

* * *

Danny exited the elevators onto the crime lab floor with trepidation. He had left numerous messages on Lindsay's home phone and cell phone asking her to call him back, but he hadn't gotten any response. He hadn't slept well, and it showed. He wasn't sure what he was going to say; but one thing was for sure: he didn't want to lose her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews. I'm always open to suggestions, comments, and ideas; so, keep them coming.  Hope you like this next installment.

* * *

Lindsay came into the lab, her eyes still slightly red from having cried the night before. Thankfully, Stella had a cold compress on her eyes to keep them from swelling. She forced herself to pretend as if it was another day at work and headed towards the locker room.

She ran into Mac on her way out. He put a hand on her arm and stopped her. "I thought I gave you the day off."

"Thanks, but I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I just want things to be normal. Don't worry, Mac, I won't let it affect my work."

"I'm not worried about your work. I'm worried about you."

"Thanks, Mac, but I think I'll be okay."

"Well, I'm here if you need me. And Lindsay, just give Danny some time. Don't write him off completely. He really cares about you."

She nodded, patted the hand that was on her arm, and then walked away.

* * *

Lindsay sighed as she waited for the machine to identify the substance she had found on the inside of the victim's collar. She hadn't seen Danny all day, since he had been assigned to a different case. She idly drummed her fingers on the desk and stared at the machine, willing it to spit out the results. Knowing that the results would be a while, she left the room and went to go grab herself a snack from her locker.

No one was there when she got there. At least she could get a bit of solitude before going back to the lab. Although she truly appreciated their concern, she didn't think she could handle telling one more person that she was indeed fine. Apparently, the whole team had figured out something had happened and had come to check up on her throughout the day. Even Don came in briefly to make sure she was okay. She opened her locker and stuck her hand into her bag, rummaging around for the elusive granola bar that she kept there.

Danny paused in the doorway. He had just gotten back from the crime scene when Hawkes had come up to tell him that he had seen Lindsay go towards the locker room. _Well, here goes nothing_. He walked towards her locker. Her head was hidden behind the locker door, and he could hear her muttering to herself as she looked through her locker for something. Not wanting to spook her, he stopped a few feet away.

"Montana."

Lindsay's hands froze, and the rummaging stopped abruptly. After a brief moment of hesitation, she stepped out from behind the locker, closed it, and faced him. Before he could say anything, she quickly smiled and replied, "Hey Messer. Are you here to tell me that my results are finally done?"

If it weren't for the barely noticeable puffiness of her eyes, Danny almost could have believed that nothing had happened last night. He hadn't expected her to act so … normal.

"No, sorry… I actually came here to talk about last night."

Her smile faded away, and she looked at him sincerely. "You don't need to explain anything to me, Danny. I understand. I know you've been having a difficult time, and the last thing you need to deal with right now is a relationship. We probably should have cooled things off a while ago." She paused, not wanting to sound too depressing. She forced herself to lighten her tone. "Don't worry about it, Messer. I'm still here for you," she said with a slight smile.

She closed the distance between them and placed her hand gently on his chest for leverage as she grazed her lips across his cheek. Then, she leaned back and moved the hand from his chest to cup his face. Gazing into his eyes, she told him without words that she would give him the space he thought he needed. After a moment, she withdrew her hand and left him alone in the locker room to think about whether or not he truly wanted to have the two of them return to being just friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Just watched "Right Next Door" and I have to say that I am seriously upset with Danny. I won't get into details for those who haven't seen it. Let's just say that I gave Danny more credit than I should have, and I wish the writers luck in winning back the avid D/L shippers who they have definitely alienated with that episode. Me, I'm still optimistic enough to see how they will fix this supposed "bump" in the relationship. But it's going to take something near miraculous to make me even remotely happy. Anyways, enough with the venting and on with the story. Sorry for how short it is. Just blame it on emotional trauma. ;)

* * *

Danny felt more alone than he had ever before in his apartment. He had gotten used to the spontaneous nights when Lindsay would stay over and they would fall asleep on the couch watching some random movie she picked out. It had only been one week, and every day he missed her more and more. The tightening in his chest from what he could only label as a broken heart was ever-present. It frustrated him that it was so hard for them to be together. It seemed that every time something terrible happened, their relationship fell apart. Last time it was her who had broken things off before things had even gotten off the ground when she had to go through the murder trial back in Bozeman. And now it was him who had put a wall between them long before the incident with Rikki. He still felt guilty over forgetting her birthday.

He threw the stack of various bills and subscriptions on his desk as he went over to check his answering machine. No messages yet again. He stood there for a brief moment, weighing his options: spending the night at home alone again or at least attempt to socialize. Deciding that it would be better for his sanity if he went out, he turned around and marched back outside.

* * *

Danny went to one of his regular hangouts, the local pool hall. He heard a familiar voice among the crowd cheering someone on. Flack stood there with his back to Danny, raising his drink in toast to someone in front of him while his other hand held a pool cue. Danny could see a group of men hanging around Flack's table, all joining in on the toast. His spirits lifted slightly at the idea of a boys' night out to take his mind off of his situation with Lindsay; but he was a bit confused as to why Flack hadn't invited him out. However, he got his answer after Flack downed his drink and moved just enough for Danny to see Lindsay setting her shot glass on the side of the pool table. He stopped where he stood and was about to leave when Lindsay looked him in the eyes. Instead of turning away and ignoring him, she gently grabbed Flack's wrist and whispered something into his ear. Flack stepped back and looked at her for a few seconds as if he were asking if she was sure. When Lindsay nodded, he gave her a brief hug, let go, and watched her walk away. Then, he turned around and waved Danny over. When Danny reached the group, Flack patted Danny on the back with a smile on his face. "Hey, Danny. It's good to see you out and about. We've missed you these past few nights."

"Yeah, sorry. I wasn't very good company and the hours at work were taking a toll… So, Flack, where did Lindsay go?"

Flack set down his cue stick and motioned Danny to take a few steps away from the group. In a more serious tone, he said, "She's heading home." When Danny opened his mouth to interrupt, Flack quickly continued, "I know what you're going to say. I got it covered. I had one of the guys go with her since she had a bit to drink. And, no, you shouldn't go after her. I don't think she's ready to hang out with you just yet. Just give her a little more time, Messer."

"Which guy?" Danny asked, getting a bit worked up at the thought of some random man taking Lindsay home, especially with her being in such a vulnerable state.

"Don't worry. It's one of the guys from the precinct. Trust me. He won't do anything inappropriate. He only volunteered because he lives near her. Anyways, she left so you could have a night out with us boys without things being awkward. So, what do you say about a game of pool?" Flack wrapped a friendly arm around Danny's neck and led him back to the table.

Although Flack's reply somewhat alleviated his jealousy, he still couldn't help but want to punch the guy. He let Flack sucker him into playing a few games with them and have a few drinks, but all the while he was unable to push aside thoughts of Lindsay from him mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: Slowly, but surely, I shall get continue this story. I may end up incorporating what's really going on in the show. I'm glad the writers on the show have decided to work things out between these two lovebirds. I won't go into specifics just in case some of you haven't been watching the last couple episodes. :) Since I'm behind, Danny and Lindsay still have a bit of a healing to do before they can live happily ever after. Sorry for the length. I'll make up for it next time. Hope that you, dear readers, are staying nice and warm. And as always, please leave some feedback!

* * *

"So, did you get home all right?" Danny tentatively asked Lindsay, breaking the silence that hung in the air between them while they waited for their respective results.

"Yeah, thanks." Danny waited for her to say something else. He waited longer than natural to see if she would fill the silence. Lindsay inhaled as if she were about to but thought better of it. Danny's heart sunk. Apparently, they were still not even close to being back to the way they were before. He knew that it would take time, but the wait was eating at him. If only he had leaned on Lindsay instead of keeping everything bottled up inside, which had led to the almost-kiss with Rikki.

Hoping that if he stayed away from more personal topics that she would actually participate in a conversation with him, he asked, "What are you waiting for?" He jerked his head towards her work area.

"Just waiting for AFIS to tell me whether or not the prints on the gun match anyone in the system."

"Oh. Good luck with that." What else could he say? I love you, too? I'm sorry I almost cheated on you? Like that was the way to make things less awkward between them.

"Thanks," Lindsay said, interrupting his train of thought. "Anyways, I'll see you around." The paper in her hand made a sharp flapping sound as she gave him a slight wave before leaving him alone to wait for his results.

* * *

Lindsay willed herself not to look back. It was hard trying to act like things were back to the way they were before they started dating, before Ruben and Rikki, and before she fell in love with him. The last part was the hardest to deal with, especially since he obviously didn't love her back. He was her best friend – the one whom she rented cheesy movies with, the one she hung out with after a hard case.

It wasn't Danny's fault that she wanted to go further in their relationship. When she had first met Danny, she knew that he was not really the commitment type; and yet she still fell for him anyways. It was stupid of her, but she couldn't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd change his ways for her – the downfall of every woman.

Seeing Danny last night at the pool hall made her realize that she needed new friends – friends that weren't a part of the crime lab world. It wouldn't be fair to make Flack or anyone else on the team take sides. Danny had been their friend longer. Plus, Danny needed them more than she did. He hadn't been the same since Ruben died; and obviously, she wasn't the one to help him through the grieving process.

For Danny's sake, she would keep her feelings to herself and try to get things between them back to normal. He didn't need any more issues to deal with. Focusing on the goal of reestablishing normality and widening her social circle, she felt stronger somehow. Now, she was armed with a resolve, a mission that would distract her from wallowing in self-pity. She would paste on a brave smile and hide the fact that her heart broke just a little bit more every time she saw him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**: Here is the next installment. And as promised, it is a lot longer. (By the way, I borrowed the basic concept of a letter that Don Draper leaves Betty in "Mad Men" for those who watch it as well as the pinnacle moment when Danny calls Lindsay during her rain walk. Maybe you can recognize it at the end.) Please leave me some feedback, positive or negative, and let me know what you think. Happy readings!

* * *

"So, Flack. Have you seen Lindsay around these past few days?" Danny asked as casually as he can as he set himself up for his next shot at the pool table. He idly chalked the tip of his cue stick while he waited for Flack to respond. He didn't dare look at him, unwilling to give away his emotions.

Flack took a sip of his beer before he answered. "Only at work. I've tried to get her to hang out with me and the gang a few times, but she keeps saying that she's got other plans. She did go out once with Jess, though, but only after a lot of guilt tripping." Flack looked at Danny, who was still chalking the tip of his cue stick. "You might want to put down the chalk there, Messer, or else you'll die of chalk inhalation or something."

"Huh? What? Oh." Danny put the chalk back onto the pool table. He half-heartedly made his next shot. The ball missed the pocket by a wide margin, but Danny barely noticed. Flack was lucky. He had seen Lindsay at work, but Danny barely even caught a glimpse of her nowadays. It wasn't that she was actively avoiding him. Whenever they happened to meet, either someone else was in the room with them or she was on her way out when he was on his way in. He guessed that she was nice enough. She would always smile and greet him; but, he could tell that it was just a front.

"Hey, Messer! Wake up!" Flack yelled as he waved his hand in front of Danny's face. Danny blinked, as if coming out of a daze. Knowing that his friend was going through some kind of Lindsay withdrawal, Flack took pity on Danny and gave him a friendly pat on the back. "Let's get out of here. We can go to my place and play some Madden NFL. I still owe you a good ass-whooping from last time." _And, hopefully, it'll distract you from thinking too much about Lindsay_, Flack thought to himself.

"What about Jess?"

"Don't worry about her. She knows tonight is boy's night."

Grateful to get away from a place full of pool tables – things that would always remind him of Lindsay, he grabbed his coat and followed Flack out the door.

* * *

Danny woke up groggy and slightly hung over from the night before. He and Flack and played videogames till the wee hours of the morning, so Danny ended up crashing on Flack's couch. Danny gave a slight groan as the aches and pains from sleeping in an uncomfortable position hit him. Raising his arms above his head, he stretched out his back and then proceeded to rub out the kinks in his neck.

"Rise and shine, Danno. Your shift starts soon, and you may want to go back to your place first and change. You look like crap," Flack said with annoying cheerfulness.

"Right back at you, stupid. Ugh, I would come over there and wipe that smirk off your face, but it's not even worth the effort," Danny replied as he slowly got up from the couch. Giving himself a second to reorient himself, Danny then proceeded to gather all his belongings.

"Here," Flack said, handing Danny some aspirin and a glass of water.

With his free hand, he popped the aspirin in his mouth then took the glass of water and swallowed the pills. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, get out of here before Mac kills you for being late."

"Yeah, yeah. See you later at work." Danny placed the empty glass on the kitchen counter then walked out the door.

* * *

"Are you feeling all right?"

Danny jolted from his semi-conscious state. He had been staring off into space, sitting on the bench that sat between the rows of lockers. He looked up from the floor, and his heart jumped in anticipation.

"Danny?" Lindsay asked, starting to regret her decision to approach him. She had come into the locker room to put away her belongings and grab her lab coat before starting her shift when she saw Danny sitting on the bench of the next row over with a depressed-like look on his face.

"Uh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just had a late night."

"Oh." Lindsay's face fell, thinking that Danny had been out with a girl. She was disappointed that he had moved on so soon.

Realizing that Lindsay had misinterpreted his words, Danny quickly continued, "With Flack. Yeah, we played pool and videogames. We had a score to settle, so it took a while."

"Oh." Lindsay responded with more enthusiasm than she intended. This playing-it-cool thing was not going so well. "Well, that must have been fun."

"I guess." Danny paused. "It would've been more fun if you were there," Danny said carefully, waiting to see how she'd react.

Lindsay's brows furrowed. "Danny…"

"Lindsay," Danny interrupted, "why have you been refusing everyone's attempts to get you to hang out with them? You shouldn't punish them for my mistake." He looked at her with those hypnotic blue eyes, imploring her to answer him truthfully.

"Danny, I just thought that you needed them more. And the more time they spend with me, the less time they can spend with you. I know what it's like to lose someone close to you. You need their support more than I do." She shrugged, not knowing what else to say or do.

Danny got to feet and approached Lindsay slowly, as to not frighten her off. When Lindsay remained frozen, he reached down to grab her hand. He was glad when she didn't immediately pull away, not that he would've willingly let her go anyways.

"Lindsay Monroe," he started, stroking her hand with his thumb as he spoke, "you are the most caring person I know. And I was a fool to push you away. I know I made a huge mistake, and I don't expect you to ever forgive me. And, I know that you could eventually move on, meet a great guy, and be happy; but, I think you're it for me."

Lindsay opened her mouth as if to interrupt, but Danny silenced her.

"No, let me finish while I still have the guts to say this. These last few days have given me a chance to think. I've missed you, Montana, more than I can say even if I don't know how to say it. And more than that, I need you. I've still got a long way to go before I can forgive myself over Ruben's death, and I'm going to need you more than ever… Okay, now you can talk."

Danny lifted his finger from her lips and used it to wipe away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. Danny's other hand grew clammy in anticipation as he waited for her to speak.

Lindsay took in a shaky breath and brought her free hand up to caress his face. The stubble on his face grazed her palm and fingers as Danny smiled in response to the gentle touch.

"Do you have any idea how hard you are to love?" Her voice cracked with emotion.

Danny gave a low chuckle in response. "So, you're in love with me, eh?"

"Yeah," Lindsay whispered with a smile.

"Good. I'm glad I'm not the only one in love here." With that, he wrapped his arms around her, hugged her close to his chest, and kissed her till she was breathless.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**: I just noticed how far behind this story is in the number of reviews. Let's see if we can get those numbers up. :) Hope you like this next installation. It's just a little short one meant to lift the spirits a bit. And just a heads up, I will probably start incorporating stuff from the show, because the writers are writing some awesome Danny/Lindsay storylines. A round of applause for the writers!

* * *

"Judging from the matching goofy grins on both your faces as you guys both got here, I'm going to make a wild guess here. You two have made up, and you had a _real_ good time last night," Flack said, looking up from his miniature notepad at both Danny.

The two of them were alone in a shady alleyway where Danny was processing the perimeter while Lindsay and Stella processed the body and the main crime scene.

Danny glanced over at Lindsay and Stella, knowing that the two women were probably having a very similar conversation.

"We're good, now," Danny said, not giving away anything else. The truth was that they were absolutely fantastic. After they had both gotten off work yesterday, Danny had gone over to Lindsay's and had the world's best make up sex – probably because they had finally admitted their true feelings towards each other. It even beat the first time they had sex on the pool table – and that had been mind-blowing. Just thinking about it now made Danny smile. This didn't go unnoticed.

"Right… I'm sure you just celebrated your reunion by watching a rated G movie and holding hands the whole night. That's fine, Messer. You don't need to give me the details. I've got you all figured out. I'm just glad that I can stop going easy on you at pool."

"Sure, sure. 'Going easy' on me. The only person who can actually beat me at pool is Lindsay, and I was drunk."

"We'll just see about that, Danny boy."

Danny just laughed and went back to processing.

* * *

Just as Danny had guessed, Stella and Lindsay were indeed discussing the new turn in Lindsay's love life. However, Stella was more focused on the fact that Danny and Lindsay were finally happy again rather than the fact that they had gotten laid – as Flack had.

"So, you two finally talked and worked things out?" Stella asked as she took photos of the area around the body.

"Yeah. He was really sweet, Stella. He really opened up to me," Lindsay replied. Although Stella was a close friend, Lindsay didn't want to give any more details. Danny's feelings were his, and they weren't hers to share with others.

"That's great. I'm glad that I didn't have to beat him up for you, kiddo," Stella said, jokingly.

"I would've paid to see that happen." Lindsay smiled, glad that she had such a great friend in Stella. Lindsay gingerly extracted a folded piece of paper from the victim's pocket and placed it into an evidence bag.

Having finished with the alleyway, Danny walked back towards the body. Before he could say anything to Lindsay, a small lump moved within the victim's shirt. Lindsay immediately got up and backed away while Stella slowly took out a large evidence bag. The lump moved towards the collar of the shirt and out popped a giant cockroach. Everyone gave a sigh of relief, and Stella handed the bag to Danny.

"Go get it, Messer, before Lindsay decides to eat it," Stella said with a wink at Lindsay.

Danny laughed and obliged, quickly scooping up the cockroach before it got away.

Lindsay looked at the both of them with a look of exasperation. "Ha ha, very funny. It was _one _time, guys. And, I wasn't the only one who ate bugs."

Danny continued to chuckle as he handed the cockroach off to another CSI. Lindsay gave a dirty look that promised retribution then went back to work.


End file.
